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Milpitas-based GlobalFoundries plans expansion in New York

By Michael Virtanen

Associated Press

Posted:
01/08/2013 05:20:46 PM PST

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries said Tuesday that it plans to build a new research and development facility at its factory complex in upstate New York and expects to add 1,000 jobs.

Milpitas-based GlobalFoundries was spun off from Sunnyvale's Advanced Micro Devices. The company began building its factory complex in Malta in 2009 and employs about 2,000 people. Company spokesman Travis Bullard said they got the town site permit a few months ago and expect to begin the new construction this spring and finish in late 2014. The company's so-called Fab 8 Campus is located in rural Saratoga County, about 20 miles north of Albany.

"As the industry shifts from the PC era to a market focused on mobile devices, we have seen increasingly strong interest from customers in migrating to advanced nodes on an accelerated schedule," said chief executive Ajit Manocha. "To help facilitate this migration, we are making significant investments in strengthening our technology leadership, including growing our workforce and adding new capabilities to make Fab 8 the hub of our global technology operations."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, jointly announcing the project Tuesday, said it is expected to result in at least 500 new jobs at the new technology center, as well as 500 more jobs at its administration and manufacturing buildings.

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"This significant expansion demonstrates that the investments we have made in nanotechnology research across New York state are producing the intended return-- the creation of high-paying jobs and generation of economic growth that is essential to rebuilding our state," he said.

The company, which also has operations in Singapore and Germany, said its Technology Development Center will house various semiconductor development and manufacturing spaces and represents an investment of nearly $2 billion, increasing the total capital investment for the campus to more than $8 billion.